Red Valentine
by Shinra-ex-SOLDIER
Summary: This season's color is red because blood will spill. Period fic for Valentine's Day. Friendship on Eri and Shiki, NekuxShiki Guests: Beat, Rhyme, Joshua. Written in Shiki's POV


_**Red Valentine**_

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

_This season's color is red because blood will spill. Period fic for Valentine's Day. Friendship on Eri and Shiki, NekuxShiki Guests: Beat, Rhyme, Joshua. Written in Shiki's POV_

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

"Hey, girlfriend!"

"It's eight in the morning. On a _Sunday._"

I growl at her. Funny, never thought I'd make that sound to Eri but can you blame me? It's freaking eight on a freaking Sunday morning. Had it been any other Sundays I would've just whined but not today. My hands are too weak to even hold my phone and I am too lazy to even bother so here I am in bed and awake, unfortunately, with my head on top of my phone. A migraine's hitting me but there's much more pain going on down there. Need I translate? There is a _bloody_ war going on inside me. I am _not_ in the mood.

"Ah, but today's not just _any _Sunday." Eri chirps. I can hear her squealing on the other line. "We're gonna meet up with the gang!"

I literally facepalm myself. "So?"

"Uh, am I choppy?" I imagine her with that look of disbelief on her face.

"No, I heard you. But like I said, so what?" My hand unconsciously grabs Mr. Mew and clutch him tightly to my chest. Not that I had any… but flat chested issues can be addressed for another day or in my case, another week since I've got more pressing things going on and my best friend isn't exactly helping me with it.

She talks as if I was some kid in kindergarten. Really slowly. "Meet. Up. With. The. Gang."

"Eri, I heard you the first time. We planned it out last week that we'd cancel this day's sewing session for the meet up." I hiss at her but that was because of the pain that punched me near the gut. And for the record, I at least remembered the time of the meet up. "At ten."

"Exactly! Wait, don't tell me you forgot?" Why are you telling me this? Can't you hear I'm in pain?! Just get it out so I can just crumble quietly in peace. "Like seriously, you did not forget, right?"

I answer back slowly. Again, I blame the wave of pain. "I don't… think so?" Oh god, make that a tsunami.

She clicks her tongue at me. "Check the date." I am gonna regret this. I can feel it in my guts. But just so we're clear, I'm feeling a whole lot _more _somewhere near there and it hurts just as much as regrets do. Okay, screw that. A _hell _lot more.

A groan escapes my throat as I crawled to my nightstand. Ugh, why did I have to wake up so far away from the thing with my glasses on top of it? I groan some more. Great, I don't think I'm ever leaving this bed but _no_, I'm sure Eri would have none of that. Just peachy. I haphazardly put on my glasses and squint at the bright screen of my phone. It's uh, 8:14 and… it's 2/14. I don't get it. What am I supposed to see- oh.

"Shit. It's V-day!" I think she winced when I swore. I'll just pretend it was a slip of the tongue. Blame the _raging _hormones. Oh, believe me. It's more rage and less hormones.

"Okay, I can't believe you forgot all about it!" Her voice is really annoying me out for some reason.

"It's not like I did it on purpose it's just fuc- fudge." I hiss at the suddenly intense pain.

"Excuse me?" Eri, please just pretend you never heard that but if you could instead, please just make this pain go away.

I'm not even trying to think at this point. "Fudge it." And then I remember that I'm not one to swear or to even semi-swear. Really, _now_? I'm in a whole new level of pain here and still I'm conscious on my reputation. The lame cover-up is out in the open anyways. "I, uh, need chocolate."

"Obviously! Maybe we could have one of those customs made at the shops so that way it's still homemade just not by you." She rambles on.

"No, I mean _I _need chocolate." I bite the inside of my cheek as the pain gradually subsided. My face is a bit hot, maybe flushed, but I don't know if it's from what I'm feeling or from what I'm about to say. "It's that time of the month."

"Oh." The tension is thick or so I would like to think it that way but really, the sudden silence is a major relief. Too bad that like all things, it's short-lived. "Ohmigosh! Shiki, are you okay?"

Where was concerned Eri when I needed her one painful episode ago? "I'll live."

"Sorry, I had no idea! Why didn't you tell me? Which day is it now? How open is the faucet?"

I am not going to answer the last one. At least not on phone. "Couldn't. Must've slipped past my mind. Was too busy experiencing it to tell you. It's just my second day just so you know."

"But how about-"

"I'm _in _pain, Eri." Was. And will be.

"Poor girl. I'm coming right over!" She pauses and adds as an afterthought, "See you soon."

After the click, my phone just beeps since the other line's gone already. I sigh and let go of Mr. Mew. This is going to be a long day and it being V-day is a longshot to what I'm actually concerned about. I begrudgingly stand up and head for the bathroom. Just a recap, I am not in the mood.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~

I hate the world. It probably hates me more and even before I started hating it. Why was I ever born a girl? I guess it's not fair if only I complain about it. Let me rephrase that. Why were girls ever born with _this_? I mean, it's a monthly thing and it _hurts_ whereas guys just get circumcised just once and they go on with their lives just fine. Where is justice?

I think I also hate V-day. I mean, just try seeing things my way. There's too much red out here as if I need to be reminded of the red going on down _there_. And I really don't need the reminders so help me God that no one else would notice. Red is the color of blood. I'm wearing a skirt and black leggings but you can never be too sure.

I pull my best friend closer and whisper to her. "Hey, Eri. Could you, um, check?"

To which she nods. We continue walking while she falls back a bit to look at my back and all then she brisk walks to me with a thumbs up. "All good." Yeah, right. There is _nothing _good in this world. It hates me, remember? Well, at least there's no stain.

Time check: we're little ahead of time. I was able to make something on the spot while waiting for Eri a while ago and she even helped me buy the chocolates so I think I'm as prepared as anyone who just woke up to V-day unprepared. In other words, I'll just wing it.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~

"You're late."

"Just ten minutes-"

"Late." I cut him off.

I'm not sure if the meds are supposed to wear off this easily or Neku's really annoying me today. I hate him. I hate this rush of blood. I hate this holiday. I hate the world. My arms are crossed and I suddenly find it hard not to be ticked off by anything and everything for that matter. I mean, I see something and I just have to hate it. For reasons.

There's a retort already in his mouth but I icily glare at him that he flinches. "Sorry." Neku just mumbles and his head drops down. Oh, he can read my mood? Good. If only he read it before he chose to be late at Hachiko.

"Did something happen?" I hear Rhyme ask but the question's not for me though.

"She's just having a bad day." Eri replies and then whispers to her. It's not hard to guess what she said since Rhyme gives me a sympathizing look right after. I silently thank her.

"Uh, wha' she said?" Oh, Beat, you don't want to know.

"Not telling." The little sister smiles. "You may be my big brother but you're still a guy. Us girls have to have our secrets."

"Bwaaah?! Whaddaya mean by that?" There he goes in his comical pose. I'll admit that it's almost making me less irritated. Almost. The blood wrath's even stronger than Beat's funniest reaction. Wow, that's actually a scary thought.

"She means that a little mystery is common courtesy for young ladies." And cue in Joshua. He's wearing his usual outfit today only with a blaring red Heart Pochette. My Heart Nails bag looks practically manly next to his bag. His eyes chance a glance at me and I could've sworn he just smirked as he turns to Neku. "Do be polite too, dear."

"Yeah, whatever." Neku is already used to his antics, I guess. Either that or he's not up to it today. If it's the latter well he better not put the blame on me or I'll put the rage on him.

"What's the matter, dear? Afraid that a certain someone didn't bring you anything?" His face holds what I think is mock affection.

I think I'm jealous. Joshua acts like Neku's girlfriend sometimes, well, _all _the time that I wish I could be as free as him. He even gets too touchy and he gets away with it without even batting an eyelash. I know he's just acting to get on Neku's nerves but sometimes he gets _too _good at it. I worry a lot when those happen. But then again, this is Josh I'm talking about! Why am I getting all worked up about it? I'm too emotional today. Must be the hormones. Yup, that's it. I'm hormotional.

"I'm touched. Deeply, in fact. Let me ease your fears, I brought you chocolate." A finger is on his lips, clearly amused.

"That's just sick." Neku scowls.

"Fine. If you're not ready to let them know then there's no need to rush."

"Sometimes I wonder why I even bother hanging out with you."

"Ah, that's just how you show your love for me." He winks and then digs into his bag. "I've brought some for everyone. But Ne-kun gets the special one, tee hee."

"Shut up and just die." Neku's right hand twitches. Either he's stopping himself from giving him the finger since Rhyme's here or he's trying hard not to punch him since everyone else is here.

"I dun' get it. I thought girls are s'posed to give guys chocolates." Beat, this is Josh you're taking too seriously. You'll hurt yourself thinking too hard.

"I believe in gender equality. Besides, it's the season of love! Can't the ladies share the fun?" Oh, yeah. This season's color is red because blood will spill if they keep talking this long.

"There is no such thing as a proper time for giving only the proper attitude." Rhyme quips.

"And take it from me, Josh's got a _lot _of attitude." Eri teases.

I zone out from there on since another intense wave-turned-tsunami hits me. It takes all of my willpower to not just curl up and die. Usually when I space out, I do the obligatory nod of the head or mumble of something but pain can do _wonders _to you. I think I've just been huffing at their comments and hissing some snarky remarks. Rhyme and Eri are giving out their chocolates while I just impatiently tap my foot. Please, can't we just finish this fast and move on? Crap. I'm getting cramps. Wait, false alarm. Not cramps but something much worse… And I gotta go.

"Guys, heads up!" My hand hurries to fling the chocolates at them. Gotta make this quick. Everyone thankfully catches them which is a relief since that makes things easier for me. Well, everyone except for… Neku!

I chance a glance at him and I will tell you that never have I seen him this depressed. No, don't get the wrong idea! Frantically, I search for his share of chocolates in my bag. It's gotta be somewhere in here. Ha! Mr. Mew, what are you doing hiding them from me? Could it be you're jealous of Neku? Don't worry, it's just V-day choco. It's not like I'm confessing to him or anything! My face goes red. I am not finishing this line of thought.

"Here." I almost shove the green (Hey! I ran out of red, don't judge!) pouch at him. And then I take off. "See ya guys later!"

Good luck, Eri. I'll need you to cover up for me, okay? I know I can trust you. It's an emergency that I'm sure you'll understand the most. I guess Rhyme's there to back me up. And UG forbid, Joshua take my side and make a horrible excuse for my sudden leave. Who am I kidding? I'll take what I can get at this point since I just need to freaking _go_. Red _so_ does not go with my outfit.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~

One napkin later, I finally get over my nth bloody episode of hurt. I guess I'm kind of in the calm before the bloodstorm. So I guess this is the part where I think rationally and regret all the hormotional things I did. Oh my god, I just bitched out on the gang a while ago. (And did I just swear?) I am the worst friend ever. Maybe I shouldn't have come after all. I should've just asked Eri to buy _and _deliver the goods for me. I throw my face onto my pillow. That was so embarrassing!

I got a text from both Rhyme and Eri saying that it's all cool. They said I shouldn't be worried about it and just try not to think about it until this hell week is over. If only it was that easy. Tomorrow's Monday so I can't hide my shame. What's worse is that _it _still hurts. Like a _lot_. Dammit.

And just when Neku was starting to open up to me, I went all barriers up to him a while ago. The V in V-day looks like vendetta to me now.

My phone rings. _[_ _It Is Fashionable __ ]_

"_D chocol8s suck."_

I blink. It's a text from Neku. Well, _sorry. _Someone's choosy! At least I even got him something! But I guess this means that we're okay, right? I sigh. I feel like someone took a weight off my chest, specifically someone with orange spiky hair. I was panicking over nothing. Way to go, Shiki. I should've known better that it'll take more than a red day to piss Neku away. _[_ _It Is Fashionable __ ] _Another text?

"_Like d gift btw. Kinda like piggy. __( ´(00)`)"_

… Yes! He likes the totally rushed gift I made! I instantly sit up in joy. It's a fifteen-minute handsewn phone charm that looks exactly like Mr. Mew. Hey, it won't win any creative awards but I'd like to emphasize the _rushed _part. I'm just so happy! But it's not like I'm happy because it's _only _Neku. I'm just happy that a _friend_ liked my gift. That's all there is to it. But still, I can't help but feel giddy inside. Probably the hormones. I immediately text back.

"_He's not a pig, he's a cat. __(=^__･ｪ･__^=)_

_Deal with the chocolate."_

So I guess this year's V-day was a success? Though tired and bloody, I can't believe I managed to pull it off. Thank goodness for Eri. Gotta owe it up to her soon. It's not the V-day that I had in mind and it's obviously not the best (here's hoping it's the worst) but I think it's okay. And to think, the best part of my day is a text. From Neku no less. I must be pretty delusional from the blood loss.

I wanted to text something else to him but I chickened out in the end. I think I'm getting way too excited over this. It's still in my drafts though.

"_I'll get you better chocolate next time."_

By the way, green will forever be my favorite color. Red's just not my season.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

**Shinra-ex-SOLDIER**

Alternate ending:

I can't believe I just walked out on them like that! I flop onto my bed. Ugh, wrong move. Now I feel worse. Note to self: do _not _do anything stupid like that while on period. Ever. What's worse is that I don't know what Neku thinks of me now.

"You 'kay?"

"Yeah. M'fine." I groan. As if I look the slightest bit okay. There are literally voices inside my head. Who am I even talking to? Hold on… Neku? "What are you doing here?"

He just shrugs. "I knocked. Your mom let me in." I think mom's getting a little _too _comfortable with Neku around. Shouldn't she be concerned or something? I mean it's cool that she doesn't think he's my boyfriend but her actions tell me it's actually the opposite. I don't even know how to react to that! I think I'm getting a little off track since Neku looks annoyed. Oops, my bad. I sit up and he sits down beside me. He has a plastic bag with him that I don't recall him having earlier. "Thought you were acting up pretty bad this morning."

"That bad, huh?" I wince. Sorry 'bout that.

"No shit, Sherlock." He gets something from the plastic bag and before I could even check what it was, it's already on my forehead.

"Cold!" I jump back and instinctively wipe my now wet forehead. He takes my hand and puts whatever that was, into my grasp.

It's ice cream. Specifically, a chocolate popsicle still in its wrapper.

He raises an eyebrow. "Are you just gonna stare at it until it melts or what?"

I gratefully accept it. "Thanks, I needed this."

Then I suddenly forget that it's my second day. The pain's gone and all that's left are butterflies and good chocolate ice cream in my stomach. I wonder if he knows though. About my period. I mean, guy friends don't just come to your house and bring comfort food, do they? I can't tell for sure since Neku's the first guy friend I've ever made who's close to me just as much as I'm close to Eri. I'm just glad he's here doing this sort of thing. I also forget that today's V-day because here we are, hanging out as if it's any other day.

I briefly wonder if he brought more ice cream. It tastes better like this. Being shared, I mean. My eyes glances down but something else catches my eyes.

The mini-Mr. Mew phone charm innocently dangles out of his pocket. The same one I just made and gave to him this morning. I look up to him and he's busy finishing off his popsicle. I don't think he noticed me looking at it. My face brightens up for the first time today.

I feel so happy right now.

"Today's pretty hot." He nonchalantly comments.

Summer doesn't actually start until June but we could always use a head start. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

* * *

(The bags and the ringtone is from the game.) My exams have been moved which is bad so I practically rushed this. Sorry, please bear with me.  
**Umm, so yeah. Let it be known that I hate Valentine's Day. For reasons.**  
But! What I do like about it is the obvious spike in shipping fics on this day (no, I will not call it a holiday unless it involves the word consumerism) albeit most of them being too cliche. So I appreciate that effect at most. Everything else, **I absolutely loathe the V-day.**  
If there are any inaccuracies here, do forgive me. I'm kind of low maintenance when the red tide hits me so I'm kinda cool about it. If you didn't know, sanitary napkins is the norm in most of Asia. Personally, I really don't see myself using a tampon like Western countries.  
Also, since they're in Shibuya, I thought I'd base the culture on Japan's where it's the girls giving the guys gifts.

_White Day happens a month after where the guys give girls gifts. Here's something fun to leave in the review. If I get inspired enough, I might write for White Day. If I love the idea enough, I'd use it and of course, credit you._  
Just finish this: **"This season's color is white because..."**  
_Have fun! Ciao!_


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